The Grit to Growth Podcast

Levi Te Slaa sits down with Dr. Abigail Polzin—ER doc, former AirMed Medical Director, and current program director for the newly launched emergency medicine residency at USD Sanford. They talk about her journey from Utah to Wisconsin to South Dakota, her time in the air as a flight medicine leader, and what it takes to build an innovative training program in a part of the country that has long needed it.
You'll hear about:
Why Abigail fell in love with emergency medicine
How her team handled 14,000+ flight patients over a decade
What makes South Dakota’s new residency program so impactful
How rural healthcare differs from big-city medicine
The emotional toll—and reward—of ER work
What aspiring ER docs need to succeed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

What happens when a renowned atmospheric scientist turns his attention to cattle ranching? In this episode, Dr. Patrick Zimmerman—founder and CEO of C-Lock Inc.—shares how his journey from environmental research to agricultural innovation is helping reshape animal agriculture around the globe. From pioneering emissions monitoring systems to revolutionizing how ranchers measure efficiency, Dr. Zimmerman opens up about the power of data, science, and respect for ruminant animals.
He discusses how early work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research led him to develop technology that bridges biosphere-atmosphere science with real-world applications for farmers and ranchers. Listeners will hear the fascinating story of how his company, C-Lock, evolved from a carbon accounting concept into a global leader in precision livestock monitoring—with clients across 50 countries and counting.
Whether you’re a rancher, a scientist, or someone curious about sustainable agriculture, this episode unpacks big ideas in an approachable and practical way.
 
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In this episode, host Levi Te Slaa welcomes Carrie Gerlach, founder and owner of Black Hills Adventure Tours. Carrie shares her inspiring story of starting the business with a modest loan, a few kayaks, and a big dream. Now celebrating 20 successful seasons, she’s grown the company into a thriving adventure and tourism service offering customized experiences across the Black Hills and beyond.
Carrie opens up about her early years, how she transitioned from hospitality into entrepreneurship, and what it took to build a seasonal business from the ground up. She also talks about balancing motherhood, creative problem-solving, expanding her offerings with women's travel experiences around the world, and the importance of partnerships in delivering world-class guest experiences.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a lover of the outdoors, or someone curious about sustainable business growth, this episode is packed with grit, vision, and wisdom.
 
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From dreaming of designing Corvettes to leading a cutting-edge 3D printing company, Shon Anderson’s path is anything but traditional. In this episode, Shon unpacks his journey from small-town South Dakota to CEO of B9Creations and shares what really makes technology stick in today’s business world.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why understanding your gifts might take a great boss—not just time
How technical skills and people skills can collide to create innovation
The three pillars every company needs to consider for successful tech implementation
Why B9Creations’ approach to additive manufacturing is changing how businesses adopt technology
The surprising role of mentorship, mindset, and soft skills in tech success
Whether you're a startup founder, a leader at a growing company, or early in your career, this conversation will give you tools to better align your talents with your goals—and to think differently about how people and tech can grow together.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

What happens when an 83-year-old mathematician, entrepreneur, and lifelong problem-solver builds an AI platform to separate fact from fiction online? In this episode, Levi Te Slaa welcomes Brian Dempsey—a seasoned consultant, company founder, and the mind behind hallucinations.cloud—to talk about truth, tech, and the art of knowing what (and who) to trust in the digital age.
Brian shares his fascinating journey from a successful actuarial career to building and selling his own firm, and now to coding and innovating in the AI space. You’ll hear how he’s applying the "wisdom of the crowd" through technology to combat misinformation and why he believes AI is a tool anyone—even those who fear math—can use to solve real-world problems.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

From the bleachers to the boardroom — Travis Morgan’s journey is a story of grit, growth, and Midwest charm. In this episode, Levi Te Slaa sits down with Travis to unpack his path from small-town Nebraska to CEO of the Sioux City Musketeers. Along the way, Travis shares lessons learned in TV sports, marketing, the symphony, and minor league hockey — including why betting on yourself and taking a leap can change your life.
Travis opens up about:
How a summer internship launched his career in broadcasting
Moving from the newsroom to marketing a casino — and what business lessons he learned
Reinventing how the community saw the Sioux City Symphony
Leading the Musketeers through one of the most successful runs in team history
What it means to lead with heart, build strong relationships, and “reverse the curse” (seriously!)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

What happens when you mix neuroscience, law, and a dinner table conversation? You get Aaron Emerson’s journey from medical research to revolutionizing hospital care. In this episode of The Grit to Growth Podcast, host Levi Te Slaa sits down with Aaron, CEO of SEGA Innovations, to uncover how he's turning pain points in hospitals into life-saving innovations.
From discussing his pivot from academia to entrepreneurship, to explaining how SEGA’s groundbreaking air-lateral transfer devices are reducing patient and staff injuries, Aaron shares a behind-the-scenes look at medical product innovation. You’ll hear how SEGA balances accessibility, affordability, and cutting-edge tech to meet real hospital needs — all while staying rooted in Sioux Falls.
Whether you’re a healthcare professional, aspiring entrepreneur, or someone interested in innovation, this episode delivers insights on turning practical problems into powerful business opportunities.
 
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In this episode, Levi Te Slaa sits down with Vishnu Nellore, a civil engineer for the City of Sioux Falls, to talk about his journey from coastal India to the snowy plains of South Dakota—and how he’s now influencing the growth and infrastructure of one of America’s fastest-growing cities. Vishnu shares how he came to study at South Dakota State University, adjusted to life in the U.S., and discovered a passion for engineering that’s all about people as much as it is about projects.
You’ll hear about:
The cultural and climate shock of moving from India to South Dakota
What drew Vishnu to SDSU and civil engineering
His experience adapting to a new language, new customs, and the Imperial system
How public input shapes large-scale infrastructure projects in Sioux Falls
An exciting new interchange project that will connect growing parts of the city
The importance of leadership and public trust in civic engineering
Why Vishnu believes Sioux Falls is a great place to live and work
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

Levi Te Slaa sits down with Joanna Prewitt, a licensed therapist and the founder of Enso Mental Health in Spearfish, South Dakota. Joanna opens up about her path from working in social services to launching her own mental health practice. Inspired by personal experience and a desire to “help the helpers,” JoAnna built Enso with a vision to create a supportive, sustainable environment for therapists and clients alike.
In this heartfelt conversation, Joanna reflects on how her parents’ divorce sparked a lifelong dedication to therapy, why she left nonprofit work, and how she scaled Enso Mental Health from a solo practice into a 9-clinician team in just a few years. She also shares how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped mental healthcare delivery and her future plans to expand into Rapid City.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

In this episode of The Grit to Growth Podcast, Levi Te Slaa welcomes Dr. Jeremy Cauwels, a small-town Iowa native whose early experiences with congenital heart disease inspired a lifelong pursuit of care and leadership. Now the Chief Medical Officer of Sanford Health, Dr. Cauwels discusses how he went from hospital medicine to helping oversee quality, safety, and graduate medical education across a vast healthcare system.
He shares insights on leading through growth, the importance of communication in large organizations, and the lasting lessons from navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Listeners will also hear his advice for emerging leaders, the value of “just showing up,” and how Sanford continues to support healthcare careers from the ground up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.